


These Damn Brats

by Stroods



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eren is a sad baby who needs to stop blaming himself for everything, Erwin Smith (mentioned) - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hanji Zoe (mentioned) - Freeform, Pre Chapter 72, Set after the Uprising arc, Team as Family, basically that time where the kids try to sleep in their own rooms but then don't, no ships just cute family shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-02 13:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5250500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stroods/pseuds/Stroods
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One by one the cadets somehow end up sleeping in Levi's room, Levi tries (and fails) not to be confused.</p><p>**EDIT: Now with art!**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eren

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on one of my headcanons where whenever Levi gets badly injured, the cadets camp out in his room because they're worried about him. And when Levi regains consciousness he just sees children asleep on his floor and he’s like ‘What do I even say to this?’ even though he’s smiling like an idiot ;)
> 
> This is my first time writing an Attack on Titan fanfic, so if anyone is OOC I apologise.

_23:47pm_  

He knew he wasn't supposed to be in here, he really did. Hanji had said to them all that they were to return to regular duties as the Captain recovered. He also knew that compared to most injuries he's seen other soldiers get from expeditions, the Captain was extremely fortunate. All he needed was a few weeks bedrest then he'd be back to being Humanity's Strongest in no time. There was really no reason to worry.

If that was the case, why was he standing in the doorway of the Captain's bedroom at 11:47 (at least that's what Heichou's clock says) at night?

Eren sighed quietly as he carefully closed the door behind him, as if one wrong move would disturb the slumbering occupant infront of him. While normally that would've been a death sentence, tonight Eren was actually _willing_ to suffer from Heichou's fury; if only to see him being himself.  
  
Not this pale, unmoving, _weak_ shell of a man under sheets that seemed to consume him.

Eren felt a sudden chill, as if the room's temperature had dropped by several degrees. _This isn't right._ he fretted. _It shouldn't be like this. Heichou's supposed to be unbeatable. He's meant to be a one man army; strong, skilled, cunning. Hell, he strained his leg fighting the Female Titan yet he still pulled through and managed to save my ass._ Thinking about Annie left a bad taste in his mouth and an ache in his heart, so he chose to distract himself by moving closer to the bed and kneeling down beside it. He studied Levi's face, he looked almost peaceful. Like the man's signature frown had never existed. But it was that same frown that made him who he was, to have it gone was unnerving.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help Heichou." he whispered morosely, even though he doubted that the captain could hear him. "I know that you said that you were fine without backup but..." he turned away from Levi as he choked down a sob. _Soldiers don't cry._ he berated himself. _Especially near their superiors_. Once he composed himself, he turned to face Levi again. He took a breath and continued, "I know you said you were fine without backup, but with all due respect Sir I think that was a stupid thing to say!" he blurted out quickly, flinching away as he prepared for a violent response to his disrespect. It never came.

Noticing the lack of pain, Eren looked back at Levi. Seeing no change in his position, he sighed again; this time it was heavier. He placed his arms up on the bed and crossed them. Resting his chin on his makeshift pillow he began to ramble, "I'm sorry again Heichou, I didn't mean to yell. I know you hate yelling." the last part was said in a mumble. Eren gazed down dejectedly, "I seem to be apologising alot lately...." he hid his face in his arms, blinking away tears. He gripped the sheets tightly and murmured, "Anyway Heichou, the reason I'm here is because I wanted to tell you that I hope you get better soon." _Not because I'm worried about you or anything._ was left unsaid.

His confession was interrupted when a yawn took him by surprise. _Oh yeah, I guess I should get back to bed._ Eren made a move to rise from his kneel, however his body proceeded to not cooperate. After several attempts, he huffed in defeat and gave up.

 _I need to leave._ he told himself. _Squad Leader specifically told us not to enter the Captain's room whilst he was healing. They told us that Heichou is an extremely light sleeper and our antics would more than likely disturb him._ he frowned as he remembered Hanji look straight at him as they were talking. _I'm not **that** inconsiderate. _ Contrary to popular belief, Eren was capable of being quiet. He just found it difficult when Jean was in the same room, always there trying to provoke him. The thought of the taller boy made him scowl. _Stupid horseface._  

 _Besides, if Heichou is such a light sleeper wouldn't he have heard me come in?_ he snarked internally. Though to be fair, the Captain wasn't known to sleep. Most nights when the rest of the squad retired to bed, the older man would always stay where he was. Either sipping his tea or cleaning his blades. At least that was what everyone thought.

Thinking of sleep reminded him of his current predicament. He knew that if he was caught sleeping in here, either by Hanji, the Commander or Levi himself he probably wouldn't live to tell the tale. The problem was that his body had shut down on him. He had transformed multiple times earlier that day and it had taken its toll, it was only through sheer willpower that he managed to walk to Heichou's room in the first place. Another reason was that he was surprisingly comfortable where he was. His legs rested on Heichou's soft cotton rug and in his personal opinion, his arms made a far more sufficient pillow than the ones in his room.

Eren drowsily glanced at the door, to find it still closed. _Everyone's fast asleep._ he rationalised in his mind as his gaze rested on Levi's sleeping face. _Including the Captain. And from what I can tell from those bags under his eyes, he probably hasn't slept in a really long time. He won't be waking up anytime soon._ With this reasoning, his body slowly began to relax. _All I have to do is get up before everyone else so I can slip back into bed. They won't even notice I was gone, it'll be fine._ Feeling confident with his plan, Eren's eyes started to droop and his breathing evened.

However before he completely drifted into slumber, without thinking he said softly "Goodnight Heichou..." not really expecting the Captain to hear him.

He was lulled to sleep by the gentle rise and fall of Levi's breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that for a first chapter? Too short? Did I write Eren okay? Let me know because this is my first Attack on Titan fic and I'd love some feedback! :D


	2. Armin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After noticing that Eren's gone, Armin does what any best friend would do and goes to find him.

_23:55pm_

Armin had woken up feeling something was amiss. He wasn't exactly sure why, but since trusting his instincts had saved him on many occasions he decided to sit up. Rubbing his eyes, he examined his surroundings; checking to see if everyone was where they were supposed to be. Everything was fine, until he noticed Eren's empty bed beside him. _Eren!_

As his best friend's absence registered in his mind, Armin immediately snapped out of his sleepy haze. Bolting out of bed he debated whether or not to wake the rest of the squad, if there was anyone who could track Eren down better than anyone it was either Mikasa or Sasha. And if brawn was needed Jean was pretty damn strong when he wanted to be.

Though as soon as that plan entered his subconscious it was quickly dismissed.  _I shouldn't jump to conclusions._ he told himself.  _I don't know for sure if Eren's been taken. Besides now that I think about it, Reiner and Bertholdt have been MIA for months. Even if they were responsible I doubt they could've escaped unnoticed._ This concluded his kidnapping theory, which meant that there could only be one other option. _Eren left on his own._

By this point Armin was about 10 steps away from the door, he was reaching for the door handle when another thought caused him to pause. _I don't get it, Eren was exhausted when we came back from the expedition. He could barely keep his eyes open at dinner, why would he be awake at this hour?_

Carefully opening the door, Armin peeked out to check down the corridor, satisfied that no-one was there he stepped out the dorm and closed the door behind him. The air in the hallway was cold, making him miss the warmth of his duvet. He was almost tempted to go back and grab it, but he pressed on. Finding Eren was his main concern right now. As he commenced his search, Armin began to wonder of his friend's whereabouts. It was out of character for Eren to be up this late, even before he was aware of his shifter powers he had cherished every moment of rest. Once he fell asleep, he was out like a light until morning. The only exceptions to this were if he was ill (which was a rarity) or worried.

Since he would have known if Eren was sick, that left Armin with the second reason. _Worried? What could Eren possibly be worried abou-_  
  
Then all of a sudden it clicked. The expedition. The Captain. _Of course. On the way home he kept ignoring me when I asked how he was, all he did was stare at and ask about Heichou._ Now that he realised, guilt filled Armin's heart. Everytime someone in the squad got hurt, Eren would always blame himself. _And I bet that when Hanji told us we weren't allowed to visit made him feel worse._

Regardless of his hurt feelings about Eren not telling him anything, Armin chose to ignore them for the moment. Instead he focused on the fact that he now knew where Eren would most likely be. He changed his direction and set his destination for Captain Levi's room. He knew that he was technically disobeying a direct order from the Squad Leader, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was Armin, what did you think? To me he was easier to write than Eren, since he has less angst to deal with xD
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter, I wrote this straight after Chapter 1 so I ran out of ideas ^^;


	3. Mikasa and Sasha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> According to Sasha's hunter instincts, a potential danger is lurking. Or is there?
> 
> Slight spoilers for Chapters 50 through to 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet and not gonna lie it took me an embarrassingly long time xD
> 
> I apologise for the excessive use of the word 'but' in this chapter.

_00:10am_

_I'm beginning to think that this wasn't the best idea._ Mikasa said to herself as she trailed along behind her companion, who looked far too lively to be awake at this time of night. Just five minutes ago she had been rudely shaken awake, thinking that there was an emergency she had immediately snapped to awareness; only to find a sheepish looking Sasha sat at the edge of her bed.

_"What's wrong? Has something happened?" Mikasa questioned swiftly, sitting up and looking around the room for anything suspicious. Since she and Sasha were now the only girls in the squad, Hanji thought it'd be appropriate if they were provided with a separate room to the guys. "I know there's only two of you since Historia and Ymir are gone, but that doesn't mean you're not still entitled to some privacy." They had explained. Though that may have been true, compared to the boys' room this one felt empty and lifeless. Aside from her and Sasha's beds, that were six feet apart from each other there were their respective dressers and a single window on the far wall of the dorm. It wasn't fancy, but it was acceptable._

_After assessing that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Mikasa turned to Sasha (whose eyes would not meet her own) and repeated her question, this time it was more blunt. "Sasha, answer me."_

_Acting unusually bashful, Sasha replied with "Well...not exactly? I'm not sure..." notifying Mikasa's blank expression she elaborated. "This might sound a little silly, but...IheardfootstepsoutsideourroomsoIthinkthere'sanintruder." she said in a rush, so fast that she was left panting._

_Raising an eyebrow, Mikasa calmly asked "Come again?" having not caught the last sentence. Although it was common for Sasha to speed talk when she was flustered, Mikasa noticed that tonight she seemed startled, frightened even. Because of this, she chose to wait patiently as her roommate tried to compose herself._

_Eventually Sasha managed to calm down enough to repeat herself, "Just a second ago, I heard someone walk past our door and down the hall." but before Mikasa could get a chance to reply she carried on, in a hushed tone. "I don't think it was Hanji, the footsteps sounded too light. And if it was one of the boys looking for the bathroom, then they've gone the wrong way." Once she had finished explaining, her eyes darted towards the door and back to Mikasa. Seeing the blank expression on Mikasa's face, Sasha mistook it as a sign that she didn't believe her and frowned. Looking down, she whispered dejectedly "I got scared....so I thought waking you up would be a good idea. I'm sorry Mikasa...."_

_While digesting what Sasha had told her, Mikasa remembered something. Sasha used to be a hunter, she had been raised to trust her instincts above anything else. To always be aware of your surroundings and to never let down your guard. During missions that hunter's intuition of hers had saved their lives more than enough times. Even Mikasa's at one point. Therefore if something didn't feel right to Sasha, it was worth listening to._

_Mikasa's face softened slightly, though her eyes still held a sense of urgency. She placed a hand on Sasha's shoulder. Gently but firmly she said "Okay Sasha, I trust you. What is the plan?" As much as she wanted to dismiss it as the brunette's paranoia getting the best of her, she couldn't ignore the possibility of there being a legitimate threat in their own home. If anyone in the squad got hurt (Eren and Armin especially) because of her ignorance she'd never forgive herself._

_Both relieved and surprised that she had been listened to, Sasha looked back up. There was no trace of judgement on Mikasa's face, which made Sasha flash her a grateful smile before turning serious. "We need to find out who's out there. From what I could tell by listening, the intruder isn't very strongly built. But they're light on their feet. With the two of us, they should be easy enough to take down." Grunting in agreement, Mikasa lifted her covers and rose from her bed. Slinking towards the door like a cat, she went from being the gentle, reserved friend Sasha had spoken to merely seconds ago to the dangerous, ruthless predator that only showed itself during the most vicious of battles._

_Hoping that the fear she had of her own teammate wasn't too obvious, Sasha followed suit and crept over to the door also. Grabbing the door handle, she slowly pulled it open. Thankfully it didn't creak, which meant if the intruder was still roaming around in this area they probably didn't notice. As she peered outside, she saw nothing. Declaring it safe to leave their room, Sasha crept into the corridor with Mikasa not too far behind._

_"What now?" Sasha whispered to her comrade, already settling into her hunter mindset. It was a coping mechanism of hers, consider everything as your prey. Make it so that you are the pursuer, not the one being pursued. If there was anything her dad taught her, it was that._

_Amused by the brunette's eagerness, Mikasa smirked. "Beats me, I'm waiting on you. Lead the way Potato Girl."_

_****_

She had to give the girl credit, not everyone could wander around the long, dark corridors at a ridiculous hour and pretend they're not overdue for rest quite like Sasha can. The Dauper bred huntress seemed to be in her element, treating this mission of theirs almost like a game.

However as impressed as she was with Sasha's endurance, Mikasa felt that it was time to return to bed. They had been moving aimlessly through the halls for what seemed like forever, finding no evidence of an intruder. Though when Sasha suggested that the supposed intruder may have gone to the Captain's quarters after possibly overhearing that he was injured, Mikasa wanted to slap herself for forgetting such an important detail. Who knew how many enemies the midget had made over the years? With the Captain incapacitated and unable to defend himself, who'd pass up such a perfect opportunity?

As they rounded a corner, Mikasa was so caught up in her thoughts that when she was suddenly pulled back she was jolted back to the present. Nearly stumbling backward, Mikasa managed to keep her balance. Looking over to Sasha for an explanation, she found her gripping onto her arm like a vice with a finger to her lips. In that moment Mikasa understood. They had found their intruder.

Deciding to see for herself, Mikasa stealthily took a peek from where she and Sasha were currently hiding. It turned out Sasha was right, there was indeed someone outside the Captain's room. Though just as she was preparing to attack, she paused. She studied the 'intruder's appearance carefully, they were shorter than she expected. Their body language seemed far too timid to be considered dangerous and when she looked closer, was that a blanket resting over their shoulders?

 _Wait a second._ Only one person she knew had absolutely no shame in carrying a blanket wherever they went, someone who was so intolerant to cold that it was unnatural.  
  
_Armin._ Upon recognising that this supposed 'intruder' was actually her childhood friend, Mikasa dropped her guard. But that begged another question, what was he doing up so late and why was he outside Heichou's bedroom of all places?

Ignoring Sasha's indignant cries of protest, Mikasa went over to meet her friend. As clearly as she could so that she wouldn't startle the blonde, she called out to him "Armin?"

****

"Armin?"

It took all of Armin's restraint to not jump out of his skin and scream when he heard his name. Had he woken someone up? Dammit he knew he shouldn't have gone back to get his blanket, but he couldn't help it. It was _really_ cold and he didn't care what anyone said. Feeling a sense of dread, he reluctantly turned his head to his right to see the source of the voice.

Though when he caught a glimpse of familiar black hair, he relaxed. _Oh it's Mikasa._ At the same time however the dread Armin felt chose to stay. Aware of the fact that he probably resembled a guilty toddler right now, Armin sighed and looked over at his friend. "Oh..hi Mikasa. What are you doing here?" From what he could tell from observing the taller girl, she looked like she'd much rather be sleeping.

Shrugging, Mikasa gestured over to Sasha whom was gradually making her way towards them. "Sasha thought she heard a trespasser. We went to investigate." She scanned her friend from top to bottom, satisfied that there were no apparent problems she asked. "And you?"

Armin stumbled for a reply that would make his current situation seem reasonable, but to no avail. Sighing once more, he ended up answering with "Eren wasn't in his bed, so I went to find him. I figured he'd come here considering how worried he was about the Captain earlier. You know how he gets when people get hurt." Fiddling with one of the corners of his blanket, he shyly added "And honestly, I'm kinda worried about Heichou too."

At the mention of Eren, Mikasa had listened intently. And towards the end of Armin's story, she frowned deeply. _Why didn't he tell me? Why does he think that he must suffer alone?_   _Doesn't he know that he can always come to me?_ Keeping these thoughts to herself, she said to Armin "In that case Armin, I'm joining you." Although her relationship with the Captain was hard to describe; neither of them had really interacted enough outside of missions to develop any real bond but that didn't mean that she wasn't concerned for the man. Besides, Eren was alone. That was unacceptable.

Now _that_ certainly wasn't what Armin was expecting, "Uh..." he was about to ask if he heard her correctly before he was interrupted by Sasha. How someone could sound so excited while whispering he'd never know. "That's a great idea Mikasa! I'll come too! Maybe when the Captain wakes up and sees all of us waiting for him, he'll be more motivated to recover! I'll go get the guys" and on that note, Sasha disappeared down the corridor leaving Armin more than a little confused. That girl and her strange logic.

Yet with that strange logic, Armin couldn't help but smile. Turning to Mikasa, he gestured to the door "Shall we then?" in which Mikasa replied with another shrug and proceeded to enter the room.

 _I take that as a yes._ Armin chuckled to himself before doing the same.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the girls have joined Armin in this impromptu sleepover, yay! I wonder how this is gonna go.
> 
> Surprisingly out of the two ladies, I found Sasha alot easier to write than Mikasa. Which was weird because I hardly know anything about her. Oh well, hopefully I did the both of them justice!


	4. Jean (+Connie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As he's roped into joining the others, Jean reflects.
> 
> Plus a hint of Connie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight spoilers for Chapters 62 onward.
> 
> Sorry for another short chapter, I'm still recovering from Chapter 3 -w-'

_00:20am_

_Why am I always dragged into shit like this?_ was Jean's first thought when he stepped into the Captain's room and took in the sight before him.

On the floor were his comrades, either asleep or getting there. Settled nearest to the door were Mikasa and Sasha (the reason he was here in the first place, insisting that he and Connie participate in the 'team bonding') snuggled under a blanket between them. Connie had gone and sat at Heichou's right side, snoring away. Then on Heichou's other side were Armin (also snuggled in a blanket, Jean noted enviously) and Jaeger.

_Fucking Jaeger._

Groaning, Jean reluctantly made his way over to sit down with the blonde and brunette. Though with Armin currently using Eren's thigh as a pillow, Jean was unfortunately closer to the titan shifter more than he would've liked.

 _I should've known you'd be the one to start this._ Jean glared half-heartedly at the other boy, who was oblivious to the world around him; much to Jean's chagrin because he took great pleasure in witnessing Eren's over the top reactions.

 _Haven't seen one of those in a while._ he thought sadly. Ever since the incident with Reiss, Eren was.... different. The angry, passionate loudmouth he knew had been replaced with a despondent husk. The fire in Eren's eyes was gone and honestly, it scared Jean. What _happened_ to him?

 _Wow, never thought there'd come a day where I'd show concern for the suicidal bastard._ Jean scoffed to himself. As much as he hated to admit it, it was true. He _was_ concerned for Eren. To see Jaeger of all people with that haunted look on his face day after day, it was hard.

 _Dammit Eren... How are you going to save humanity if you can't even save yourself?_ He studied Eren's face for a moment, even in sleep he looked pained. It was like the demons inside his head refused to leave, no matter what he did.

For once it made Jean feel pity for him. Not in a mocking sense like he expected, just simple, honest-to-God pity. No one deserved to be constantly tormented by their own subconscious. Not even Jaeger.

With a heavy sigh, Jean looked around him. No one was awake. _Good._ Carefully manoeuvring himself so that he was closer to Eren, he tentatively grasped his shoulder. Leaning towards his ear, he whispered sincerely "Whatever's going on inside that thick skull of yours, ignore it. We need you Eren, come back to us."

Sensing no change in the shifter's position, Jean let go of Eren. Turning so that he was facing away from him, he closed his eyes. If his message fell on deaf ears, that was fine. However if it made Eren decide to finally pull his stupid self together and remember how much he mattered to everyone, that wouldn't be so bad either.

 _Oh well, let's wait and see._ And on that note, Jean allowed sleep to claim him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel that I made Jean really OOC in this, sorry! As much I love how much of an asshole he is, my EreJean shipper heart got in the way!
> 
> Didn't even try to write Connie, which is probably for the best.
> 
> One more chapter to go! (hopefully)


	5. Levi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi finally wakes up, only to find kids on his floor. Naturally he's curious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is finally here! And we finally get to see Levi's story in all this. Enjoy!
> 
> Sidenote - The art is by me ;)

_01:00am_

_He had been careless. He had made the assumption that there were no active Titans in the area due to how dark it was, since they had been caught in a downpour. Because of this he thought it'd be best to regroup with the others._  
  
_Oh him and his history of terrible choices._

_It had all happened so fast. One second he was in the air, moving swiftly through branches trying to catch up with his squad and the next he suddenly felt himself be yanked downward. Fuck._

_He let out a grunt of surprise before he looked down to see an 8 meter, a hand gripping one of his wires. He felt a pit grow in his stomach,_ _how did he not see it? Why didn't he hear it coming-_  
  
_His thoughts were rudely interrupted when he was swung violently to the left, his back smashing against the nearest tree. Pain erupted everywhere, he groaned as spots began to dance about his vision. Great, a possible concussion. He loved those. But hey, at least he wasn't bleeding right?_

_Despite being dazed, he could still feel himself be pulled a second time. This time he was aiming straight for the ground. Shit. He looked down at his 3DMG, he had no choice. He had to lose it. Although he was fully aware of the grim fact that if he lost his mobility, he'd be as good as dead. But at this moment in time, he'd take any other death over being used as a fucking Titan's kite. Making his decision, he quickly began detaching the gear off of his person, once he was free he flipped onto his back in an attempt to cushion his landing._

_Which did jackshit because apparently according to some Higher Power, he didn't deserve a nice landing. Instead he ended up smacking against a dozen (he lost count after the third) branches, which left him bruised, cut up and with at least three broken ribs. When he finally did hit the ground his skull slammed brutally as it connected with the earth. Blood began to roll down his face. Fantastic._

_Feeling himself slipping away, the last thing Levi heard was a frantic call of "Heichou!" before his world turned black._

Levi woke up in pain. The sharp, stinging, _burning_ pain that wouldn't piss off no matter how much you tried to ignore it, instead it just grew in intensity. Hissing, he wrapped an arm around his bandaged ribs to try and soothe them as he sat up. Which simply resulted in more pain by putting stress on his abused back. _Fuck, the drugs wore off. No wonder I feel awful._

Remaining as still as possible as the pain subsided, Levi blinked his eyes open. Only to realise that Jaeger was sat at the side of his bed. _The hell?_

And it wasn't just him, as Levi inspected his room he realised that his entire squad was spread across his floor fast asleep. The boys were slumped against his bed (save for Armin, who looked quite comfortable resting on Eren's leg) while the girls were situated nearest to the door. _Again, what the hell? Why do I have children occupying my bedroom floor? Shouldn't they all be in bed? Why-_  
  
His stream of questions was cut off when he heard a whimper coming from beside him, Levi glanced down to see that it had come from Eren. The younger was still asleep, though he seemed distressed. Breathing heavily and shifting his position every three seconds. It didn't take a genius to know what was happening.

 _The kid's having a nightmare._ Levi deduced as he silently observed the perturbed brunette, trying to decide on what he should do. He could wake him up, tell him to get the hell out of his room along with everyone else; but even he wasn't that cruel. Besides it would've required energy that he currently didn't have. Then came the second option, which made him grimace. Comfort was not his strong suit (he could thank Kenny and his time in the underground for that), sure he could hold hands with the dying in their final moments but he doubted that would help him in Eren's case. How does one comfort a sleeping teenager these days?

While weighing his limited options, Levi remembered something. Something that his mother used to do for him before she got sick, it may not much but it was worth a try. He slowly exhaled (wincing slightly when it agitated his tender ribs) as he looked at Eren's pained expression, what was the worst that could happen? Lifting a hand, he cautiously made his way to rest it on Eren's head. When the boy didn't stir, Levi's confidence grew. Carefully running his fingers through the titan shifters soft hair, he noted that it was cleaner than he expected. _Thank God_. _The last thing I wanted was to touch greasy ass hair._ As he continued on with these rhythmic strokes to the boys scalp, Eren whimpers gradually began to quieten. Levi knew this, yet he couldn't bring himself to stop. It took his mind away from the pain throughout his body and strangely, he felt himself become relaxed. And without the use of tea, that was incredibly hard for him to be. _Who would've thought that to get Humanity's Strongest himself to relax was to get him to pet a brat like a cat? Because that's not creepy._ he thought wryly.

However even with that comment he continued on with his task. His eyes drifted over to stare at Eren's face. Noticing dark circles that could rival his under the kids eyes, Levi's expression turned sad. Were those there before?  He couldn't honestly remember. Maybe that blow to the head did more damage than he assumed.

It was then when he heard a soft noise come from Eren, making him pause in his petting. "Heichou...." Watching in shock, Levi's first thought was _He's awake._ _Shit. This is gonna be really awkward oh hell_ until he heard it a second time. This time Eren sounded panicked. "Heichou! Heichou can you hear me? Heichou please...." his calls slowly increased in volume and became more and more frightened and desperate which made Levi's heart twist painfully as he was reminded by how these calls were the same ones he heard before he lost consciousness.  _God. The kid probably thought I was dead. That along with the guilt he's been carrying about the Reiss family deaths probably made shit even worse. No wonder he sounded so terrified, he didn't want another death on his hands._

Having no idea on how to get Eren out of his panicked state, Levi did the only thing he knew how to do; which was to command. With this in mind, he moved his hand from Eren's head to grab one of his hands. Gripping it tightly, he spoke sternly but not unkindly "Oi brat, settle down. I'm fine, battered as fuck but fine. Everyone else is fine, no one got eaten. So hush." he knew he was pushing it when he said the 'no being eaten' part but screw it, the details didn't matter right now.

To his surprise, Eren did what he was told. His breathing resumed to a normal pace and his frantic calls had ceased. Instead they had been replaced with a quiet, uncertain "....Captain?"

Dropping his 'Captain' persona, Levi replied in a gentle tone "Yeah, it's me. Go to sleep Eren. Everything's okay." as if on cue, Eren fell silent. His light snores assuring Levi that he had indeed returned to pleasant slumber. Levi smiled. _Good._

Though he had a feeling that this wouldn't be the only nightmare he'd witness tonight, telling from the amount of shifting about the others were doing. It seemed that Eren had sparked a chain reaction, meaning that there was no way he'd get any sleep tonight. Sighing, Levi eased back into his pillow and mattress (groaning all the way) while still keeping his hand on Eren's. Oddly enough, he didn't seem to mind. Wasn't it his job as a superior to make sure his squad was okay or something? If he could do that by being awake when the kids needed proof that he was alive, then so be it.

Making himself comfortable (well as comfortable as one could get with a bruised back and broken ribs) Muttering to himself, he grumbled "Tch, damn brats. Always giving me work to do." _Oh well. It's not like I sleep regularly anyway._ he added with a hint of fondness.

Closing his eyes, Levi laid in silence. And waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And on that note, that concludes These Damn Brats. Sorry if it seems rushed! I hope all of you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Surprisingly, as much as I struggled with some parts I enjoyed writing this :D It's certainly made me want to write more AOT fics in the future, but who knows. Maybe when I'm more familiar with the characters I'll do more but until then, I bid you adieu~


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